Features

We love Sonlight because it teaches our children to think critically about what they are learning. It challenges them to carefully consider the worldview that the media and many of their friends hold. They are learning that the biblical worldview is supported by science (among other subjects) and they are learning how to defend their faith. Sonlight also breaks us free from the 'school at home' mindset by allowing a more relaxed learning environment and encouraging discussion rather than completing lots of worksheets. Thanks Sonlight! Here, twelve-year-old Mackenzie reads from Science G in her third year of Sonlight.

"We are in our 14th year using Sonlight, writes Lois B of Valparaiso, IN. "The literature-based format and the emphasis on seeking to raise winsome Christians (along with Instructor's Guides with everything scheduled for us!) convinced me to try Sonlight and to keep using it.

"The continuity of knowing we'd be Sonlighting made it easier for us to follow God's calls to other places as we made four interstate moves. The connections that come from using Sonlight multiple times with different children is an added benefit to me. As I go through each History/Bible/Literature program again with my younger daughter, I can emphasize details and themes that are even more important than I realized the first time through. "

Here, Grace (17) and Hope (14), enjoy some literature time together. They are using Sonlight's British Lit, Psychology, and HBL 200 programs.

"Sonlight remains the best fit for our family after all these years," writes Kim T of Bloomington, IL. "We have always loved how 'portable' Sonlight is. You can take it wherever you want; even under the ladder of your bunk bed! Anna loves reading her Sonlight Readers wherever her cat is." Anna has used Sonlight since she was 5-years-old; she is now 17 and studying Core 400. Her older siblings also used Sonlight for their entire schooling. Sarah (19) is in her junior year of nursing school, while Josh (22) just graduated with a double major in marketing and business.

WHAT ARE YOUR SONLIGHT STORIES?

Use #sonlightstories on social media to share your thoughts and photos. Or log
in to your account on sonlight.com to upload images and share testimonials.

A college-prep survey of significant, beautiful literature

Help young scholars gain independence in learning: complete lesson plans and materials guide them each day.

Watch students hone their skills in creative writing and academic essays.

Prepare for the AP English Literature Exam* and equip students for university-level study.

Combine this unique literature-only program with other Sonlight high school subjects for a complete one-year high school curriculum.

A unique and robust literature course

British Literature 630 is a complete, one-year literature program. My daughter Amy (a literature-major and homeschooling mom) and I designed it to help prepare students for college and life. Students evaluate beauty and literature from an academic perspective and biblical worldview.

This course is largely self-guided. You, Mom or Dad, will primarily act as a coach, encouraging, cheering and monitoring the progress of your students.

Choose this program to ...

Help your students engage thoughtfully with the world around them, and:

Prepare for college and/or prepare to take the AP* exam in English Literature.

This guided journey through literature and literary analysis features a wide variety of forms and genres. You'll start with a heroic epic poem written when the Christian gospel first came to the British Isles. Then read tales of a knight of the Round Table. Ponder the human condition as expressed in Shakespeare's tragic play Hamlet. Engage with classic novels by Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Emily Brontë and Lewis Carroll. Discover a variety of gripping poetic forms.

Interspersed among the famous "Great Conversation" texts, relax with popular characters including Sherlock Holmes, Peter Pan and P. G. Wodehouse's famous butler, Jeeves.

Experience the horror of life without laws or God in works such as Lord of the Flies, Passage to India, and Frankenstein.

Then study insightful and influential Christian works such as Milton's Paradise Lost and C. S. Lewis' The Great Divorce.

Students could earn college credit!

British Literature 630 also prepares students for the AP* exam. Colleges often award credit to students who do well on the exam.

The AP English Literature Exam requires students to understand literary terms, analyze poetry, know a few literary works in depth and write compelling literary analysis. This course specifically equips them in all these skills. For additional help we recommend Cracking the AP English Literature Exam.

Combine 630 with other courses

You can combine the 36-week British Literature course with one of our 36-week high school history courses to create a custom experience for your students.

With Literature 630, you receive:

Instructor's Guide

Self-directed instruction in this classic literature package empowers your students to independently follow their Student Guide each day. Stay in tune and check their progress with your corresponding Parent Guide that includes answers and extra notes.

Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, is the original Gothic horror story that started a genre. Doctor Victor Frankenstein creates a monster that yearns for companionship. Universally spurned, the monster turns to crime. Thought-provoking.

There's something rotten in the state of Denmark. Prince Hamlet learns that the King murdered his father — but is revenge the answer? This "Shakespeare Made Easy: Hamlet" text combines the original Elizabethan text with facing-page translation to make teaching Hamlet simple. Gorgeous language, glorious plot.

John Milton's "Paradise Lost" is the story of Adam and Eve: their creation, bliss, temptation, fall, and subsequent misery. Throughout, he alludes to the future redemption by the second Adam. A masterpiece.

One of the most lyrical writers of the 20th Century, this EM Forster novel highlights the cultural differences between British colonials and their Indian counterparts. Can an Indian and a Brit be friends? Haunting.

One of the earliest and finest accounts of King Arthur's court. Combination Middle English text and modern day translation. His honor challenged, Sir Gawain confronts his foe, and along the way overcomes temptations. Charming.

The French Revolution, also known as the best of times and the worst of times, are backdrops for Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." A vivid picture of class struggles shown through the lens of two families on two continents. Compelling.

Three friends decide to spend a week relaxing in a boat on the Thames. Forget the relaxation! The author's dry humor and insightful commentary — compared favorably to Mark Twain's! — will keep you in stitches. One of those books you don't want to put down.

Chaucer. A band of pilgrims tell stories as they travel. A delightful gallery of verbal portraits. A bit bawdy at times, yes, but so vivid, fresh, and interesting, it's astonishing to think that these stories have been read for over 600 years. A full hundred years before Columbus came to America, people were laughing at the Wife of Bath. Now you can join in the laughter.

Required Items

You need one set of 2 Binders for each high school year (100 - 500). Whether you get a complete upper-level program or mix-and-match your History/Bible and Literature/Language Arts, you will need one binder for you and one for your student.

Exercises ensure students are able to comprehend what they read when they run across the words in context, give students confidence that they can use the words in writing, and teach students the words' various meanings.

Features

We love Sonlight because it teaches our children to think critically about what they are learning. It challenges them to carefully consider the worldview that the media and many of their friends hold. They are learning that the biblical worldview is supported by science (among other subjects) and they are learning how to defend their faith. Sonlight also breaks us free from the 'school at home' mindset by allowing a more relaxed learning environment and encouraging discussion rather than completing lots of worksheets. Thanks Sonlight! Here, twelve-year-old Mackenzie reads from Science G in her third year of Sonlight.

"We are in our 14th year using Sonlight, writes Lois B of Valparaiso, IN. "The literature-based format and the emphasis on seeking to raise winsome Christians (along with Instructor's Guides with everything scheduled for us!) convinced me to try Sonlight and to keep using it.

"The continuity of knowing we'd be Sonlighting made it easier for us to follow God's calls to other places as we made four interstate moves. The connections that come from using Sonlight multiple times with different children is an added benefit to me. As I go through each History/Bible/Literature program again with my younger daughter, I can emphasize details and themes that are even more important than I realized the first time through. "

Here, Grace (17) and Hope (14), enjoy some literature time together. They are using Sonlight's British Lit, Psychology, and HBL 200 programs.

"Sonlight remains the best fit for our family after all these years," writes Kim T of Bloomington, IL. "We have always loved how 'portable' Sonlight is. You can take it wherever you want; even under the ladder of your bunk bed! Anna loves reading her Sonlight Readers wherever her cat is." Anna has used Sonlight since she was 5-years-old; she is now 17 and studying Core 400. Her older siblings also used Sonlight for their entire schooling. Sarah (19) is in her junior year of nursing school, while Josh (22) just graduated with a double major in marketing and business.

WHAT ARE YOUR SONLIGHT STORIES?

Use #sonlightstories on social media to share your thoughts and photos. Or log
in to your account on sonlight.com to upload images and share testimonials.